Chiswick Calendar 2016 Goes On Sale For Good Local Cause
The best Chiswick images, from Ian Wylie and Jon Perry
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The Chiswick Calendar 2016 goes on sale from Wednesday November 4 with all profits donated to a W4 good cause.
Local photographers Jon Perry and Ian Wylie have again selected their best Chiswick images for the calendar, now in its fourth year of production.
All profits from the 2016 edition will go to the St Alban’s Church Back To Life campaign.
This ‘pre-loved’ church on Acton Green Common in Chiswick recently celebrated the first anniversary of its re-opening, having been closed for many years.
As well as regular services it has also hosted a number of local events, with long term plans to use it as a multi-purpose centre for the Chiswick community.
Printed on high quality photographic paper, the calendar costs £12 and includes 13 new images of Chiswick.
It will be on sale from Wednesday November 4 at our main stockist: Fosters’ Bookshop on Chiswick High Road plus Top Hat Cleaners in Devonshire Road.
Freelance journalist Ian Wylie said: “The cover photo for 2016, hopefully, provides a W4 talking point.
“Our Chiswick parakeets are certainly photogenic and this one, as seen by Jon at Chiswick House and Gardens, is no different. But not everyone is a fan of these birds, relative newcomers across London and other areas in recent decades, their numbers increasing as each year goes by.
“I’ve lived in Chiswick for 35 years so am a relative newcomer myself. In that time I have seen many changes in the place we all love. The ‘invasion’ of thousands of parakeets being just one. Let alone the prospect of more flights of a different kind should a third runway be approved at Heathrow.
“Our High Road of today is very different in composition to the one I first walked along in 1980. And those who have lived here for much longer can testify to even wider contrasts.
“The London Transport Chiswick Works at Gunnersbury, home of the Blue Peter skid pan, is now the 21st century Chiswick Business Park with very little sign of its previous life. A visitor from 35 years ago would be amazed at both the view and how jobs in their many thousands have returned to this site.
“As we approach 2016, the pace of planned future Chiswick developments has increased. Not all of it photogenic. Many are concerned it is going too far and threatens the character of our special part of the world. Others welcome these proposed ‘newcomers’ and argue they are all part of living in a vibrant part of west London.
“Whatever your view, I hope our selection of images for the 2016 calendar illustrates both how Chiswick has changed...and how it stays the same.”
The story behind the 2016 images:
Cover: That Look In Your Eye. Jon: “The parakeet population is a worry, but it can’t be denied: they are very photogenic and are now very much Chiswick residents. Taken on a crisp blue sky day in March 2015.”
January: Classic in White. Jon: “With very little snow the previous winter, I was praying for some and was rewarded. It was a case of getting out while it lasted and take a lot of pictures. This photo at Chiswick House is what I would call a straight shot, just trying to show the beauty in front of my eyes.”
February: The Fox and Lights. Jon: “A sister picture to this one made it on to the first page of Amateur Photographer. I set out one evening to take night shots of the Thames, with only a 50mm lens. They were disappointing but the walk home brought the prize. I was forced to get close to the fox due to the lens and this gives the image its intimacy.”
March: Arms Aloft. Ian: “The moment of victory as Oxford cross the finish line of the 2015 Men’s Boat Race near Chiswick Bridge. A historic day with the Oxford and Cambridge Women’s Boat Race also taking place on the same course on the same day for the first time.”
April: Turnham Pink. Ian: “I have made several visits to this location in north Chiswick over the years and finally got the image I wanted in April 2015.”
May: Blossoms on Turnham Green. Jon: “A treat each spring to wait for this little avenue of trees, just a few feet from the High Road, to dress up in their most beautiful clothes and pose for us.”
June: Under the Willow. Jon: “Strand-on-the-Green, I return to again and again. I never expect to see a new shot and I always do. This time it was the beautiful willow, like an old friend and a little nod to one of our prettier Brentford neighbours.”
July: Classic Mustang. Jon: “An American classic, an original Mustang on the Fourth of July on ‘The Terrace’. An irresistible shot.”
August: Chiswick House Summer Mood. Jon: “I was having trouble trying to show the most gorgeous meadow flowers at Chiswick with their landmark house, just too far away from each other. Then a brainwave - a double exposure could put the two together. I hope it gives a feeling of dazzling summer light.”
September: Back To Life. Ian: “People returned to long closed St Alban’s Church on South Parade in Chiswick. I’ve been documenting this building for a number of years and it has been a joy to see life return to within its walls and the exciting plans for its future.”
October: Chiswick House Dawn Flight. Ian: “The morning light falling on the trees at Chiswick House and Gardens was quite breathtaking. I waited for several minutes, hoping the birds would take off from the lake. And they finally obliged.”
November: Fireworks Business. Ian: “The management at Chiswick Business Park kindly allowed me to take a lofty vantage point during the November 2014 fireworks display, resulting in this image of both the fireworks and their reflection in the glass and steel of one of the buildings.”
December: Festive High Road Spectacle. Ian: “With thanks to Bakers of W4, the stall holders on Chiswick High Road who ensure the ever watchful Father Christmas is in place every year.”
Added Ian: “We would like to thank all of the community spirited Chiswick businesses who work with us on this local project.
“With thanks to John Fitzgerald and his team at Snappy Snaps on the High Road for their support and expertise in producing this high quality W4 calendar.”
October 31, 2015
